meantime, rick per could use some of the gift for gap. he has been noticeably absent during the debate so far. there have been some gaffes that have been hurting him. question, will he be able to become more than a late-night comedy show joke after these debaters on really hit a home run? that's the question. and mitt romney, on the again/off again front runner who has been facing attacks from both sides. that's the big question. you have newt gingrich also on the stage, michele bachmann, ron paul and rick santorum all of them trying to get a word in edgewise. let's walk through the dos and don'ts of a debate, cnn contributor ari fleischer is here and kevin madden, spokesperson for mitt romney in the 2008 campaign and senior political analyst david gergen. okay. i have to take a deep breath. i had to go for a long time there. david gergen, let's start with you. who has the most gain tonight? >> i think herman cain, if he can take the punches tonight, and if he can convince people that he's a serious candidate and not just sort of the flav